This weekend's Australian Grand Prix is the first of 21 rounds and has more meaning than any for the Toro Rosso driver from Palmerston North, who is gearing up for his first full season.
Hartley captured the imagination of the Kiwi motorsport fraternity late last year when called up by the Italian team to contest the final four rounds.
He impressed enough, despite a series of engine problems, to earn a full drive this year, along with fellow rookie Pierre Gasly, of France.
The pair will again have their work cut out matching the most heavily-resourced constructors but a switch this year to Honda engines and some solid recent test results in Barcelona are cause for some optimism.
Hartley said his small sampling last year had only served to raise his anticipation levels.
Having round one near his home country added another layer.
"Thinking about Australia it's probably the race I'm looking forward to the most," he said.
"It's the first race of the season and it's been a few months since all of us got to take the race start, so there's a lot of adrenaline and excitement.
"Also, it will almost feel like a home race for me."
The race could feature more New Zealanders in an F1 crowd since the golden era of the 1960s and '70s, when Bruce McLaren, Denny Hulme and Chris Amon flew the flag.
"When I was back home in New Zealand, every second or third person I spoke to said they were coming to Australia," Hartley said.
"So I'm hoping to see a few Kiwi flags around which will be quite a special moment for me."
The first two practice sessions are today, followed by the third session and qualifying tomorrow.
Sunday's race starts at 6pm NZ time
